Incaic "tambos" in central San Juan: regional articulation

Abstract

The orographic system known as "Precordillera de La Rioja, San Juan y Mendoza" crosses San Juan province (Argentina) in a longitudinal direction; in some of its sectors it is 60 km wide and several mountain ranges form it determining a succession of longitudinal valleys. On both sides of this system, the low valleys are placed, where the native population has lived since the last indian period. Traditionaly there has not been explanation about the presence, inside the Precordillera, of Incan Empire settlements, especially those called "tambos". Through the analysis of geographic characteristics and of the historic antecedents of the use of this peculiar environment before the construction of modern roads that cross this mountainous range, it is posible to give a new interpretation of the situation and the way those settlements worked, according to the Empire organizational sistem.